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New York Shop Amalgamated Renamed to Silver & Partners

Top Industry Creative Gets His Name on the Door

As it approaches its tenth birthday, Amalgamated -- the New York shop founded by a trio of admen who got to know each other working at Cliff Freeman in the late 1990s -- is getting a new name.

Eric Silver
Michael Stefanski
Effective immediately, the agency is being rebranded to Silver & Partners to reflect the name of its chief creative officer, ad veteran Eric Silver. Mr. Silver -- who had also worked with the Amalgamated founders at Cliff Freeman -- joined the shop two years ago and became a majority owner at the shop. It was a major career move for Mr. Silver to join a smaller agency after a career that saw him earn creds for TV work at big agencies such as BBDO and DDB, but his was one of several examples at the time of senior creative talent decamping hulking network shops in order to hang their own shingle. Others include Gerry Graf, Roger Camp and Matthew Bull.

Two of the three founders of Amalgamated, Charles Rosen and Jason Gaboriau, have since left the agency, but one, Doug Cameron remains onboard. He oversees a brand and innovation consultancy at the agency.

The name change has been talked about for some time now, largely because it's easier to pronounce and can't be confused with Amalgamated bank. But the timing also coincides with the departure of agency CEO Brian Martin just a few weeks ago. His role is not being replaced and his duties have been absorbed by Mr. Silver and Partner-Managing Director Michael Stefanski, who arrived at the shop in May after serving as VP-advertising at DIRECTV.

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"We talked a lot about it and we felt that while the spirit of Amalgamated is very much alive and well, there have been enough changes in management to make the switch," Mr. Silver told Ad Age . "The most important thing for us is doing great work for clients who are fun working with."

Added Mr. Stefanski: "It's different people, a different way of working and our client roster is very different than it was just a couple of years ago." That roster includes Ben & Jerry 's, Coca-Cola's Honest Tea, Patron Company's Ultimat Vodka, CarMax and MSG Networks.

Currently the shop has 35 employees. While Mr. Silver is aiming to grow the agency, he's not set on becoming a specific size or eager to open up more offices soon. "If you look at the arc of any agency we respect today it was about creating work they were proud of no matter the size of the agency," said Mr. Silver. "I really respect 72&Sunny out west and Droga5 on the east coast. They both held true to their ideals and what they wanted to be."